I joined the Police aged 25 and I am still a serving officer today.  I have been a Sergeant now for almost five years with roles including core re-active shift, control room, custody and a role in the criminal justice department.  I have suffered many symptoms for years including flashbacks/nightmares, depression, loneliness and isolation, severe mood swings and aggression, excessive drinking, insomnia and inappropriate anger.

Apart from a few particularly traumatic incidents, my issues were a gradual build up of smaller unresolved matters, usually dealt with by the “let’s crack on”, “we’ll go for a beer” or sometimes “s**t happens” attitudes.  There was never any formal support for anyone struggling in this way and through fear of not being seen as one of the boys, I believed it would seriously hamper or end my career if I spoke out.  My method of dealing with these feelings was to drink excessively in order to blank them out.  In my private life I found it almost impossible to hold down any kind of long term relationship. My mood swings and temper outbursts became more and more frequent eventually leading to the breakdown of any relationship.

My list of symptoms made it very likely that I was suffering with undiagnosed PTSD.

In May 2010 I was working as a custody sergeant when I finally flipped.  A prisoner was brought in to the custody block who was spitting, biting, fighting and throwing faeces around his cell.  I felt an overwhelming surge of anger/fear/confusion/rage and felt like the walls were closing in on me.  Had I not walked out of the custody block that night I do not know what might have happened.  The following day I went to see my GP and was prescribed anti-depressants and referred to the force welfare and occupational health department to arrange counselling sessions.  I undertook these sessions but found they did not work for me.  Re-visiting traumatic memories was not the form of treatment I needed.  Although my counsellor was very understanding I found that some visits made me feel worse.  I continued to carry on day to day.  My medication was doubled by my GP and my excessive drinking continued.

I came across Talking 2 Minds while reading an article on the Sky news website highlighting the issue of PTSD.  I had been diagnosed with PTSD and told that medication and counselling was the way to deal with it.  These were not working for me so I have to admit that I was extremely skeptical when I drove up the M6 on that Monday morning.  Having now been through the Talking 2 Minds process I have to say I am a changed person.  I described it on the course as “Feeling as though I have got my life back”.  I have to say I believe in this process wholeheartedly and cannot stress enough how effective this treatment is.  I am forever in debt to Rob,  Ernie and all the Talking 2 Minds team for helping me to find my light.

If you find your self reading this and feel that this sounds like you or some one you know then I strongly urge you to get in touch with Talking 2 Minds.  Do not expect sympathy or a pat on the head, what you can expect is empathy, understanding and buckets of encouragement and hope.  You’ve nothing to lose, go for it and start living the life you want, expect and deserve.

Ubique.

Through my practitioner i have learnt to accept me and the trauma of my life and reflect on the positive. A friend who had been on the  told me to go with an open mind and open heart and embrace new experiences. I did this and surprised even myself on how it works. 

Life is for living and I am loved.

I am the ultimate pessimist but I do truly believe that this will continue to help me in the future. All that I have learned in the few days has made a massive difference already. I can’t thank these people enough, words are not enough.

the painful and traumatic memories that were hindering  my day to day life have gone!

I feel I can now enjoy the rest of my life thanks to Talking 2 Minds.

inspiring the liberation of tomorrows heroes!

Many thanks

thank you for everything.

The technique involved was easy to understand, cope with, new and very helpful. it was explained in a way and done in a mannor I understood and could easily build upon to help me relax and practice when I left the course.

I thought and think that it is a life saving course.

i would recommend T2M to anyone. I have gained in confidence in all areas and cant thank them enough. This service helps you feel inspired to move on!

Very welcoming and in no way intimidating.

Thank you all to everyone involved.

Still not sure how you did it but whatever it was it worked.

Please can this be anonymous. Thank you 

Most importantly it works.